


Defenders

by Dangerousandbeautiful



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-29
Updated: 2017-06-29
Packaged: 2018-11-20 21:52:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11343837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dangerousandbeautiful/pseuds/Dangerousandbeautiful
Summary: Mikasa and Levi stick up for each other when no one else will. Written for Rivamika Week June 2017.





	Defenders

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for Rivamika Week, but I had a hard time coming up with ideas for all the prompts, so this short fic is just something independent and random. I'm not really happy with how this came out but I have other stuff to post for Rivamika week, and it's been a really long time since I wrote any Rivamika, so I'm using this as something of a transitional guinea pig for me to brush the rust off and hopefully do better with my other writings I'm going to post.

 

            Since the new recruits from both the Military Police and Garrison had joined less than two weeks ago, the noise around the Scouting Legion’s headquarters had increased ten-fold, and the few Veterans that were left were finding themselves missing the peace and quiet from before. Still, they tried to be grateful for the new rookies’ sacrifices to join such a group where death was constant and making close connections was almost pointless.

            The Squad Leaders had the task of surveying the new recruits in order to determine their strengths, and Commander Erwin was constantly locked away in his office, using the observations they recorded and making decisions on where to place each new soldier accordingly. Captain Levi had already scoffed at taking any newbies into his already full squad—perhaps the only squad that did not have empty spots caused by unfortunate recent openings. Squad Leader Hanji required a full new set except for Moblit, and because of Mike’s mysterious absence—he still was not allowed to confirm that he was killed in action—he’d been forced to make new leaders out of soldiers who had been part of the Legion for only a year or so.

            Even Hanji, the leader with the most positive attitude, found herself extremely annoyed with the newcomers. The first night of drinking and celebrating had been fun, but since then they had not stopped the party, and the rowdiness was irritating her enough to call on Levi to break up the shenanigans at two in the morning in order for her to get some sleep.

            And so, at ten in the evening, what was supposed to be curfew time, the Shingashina trio was making their way back to the dorms accompanied by Sasha Braus and Jean Kirschtein on account of having a late dinner due to the kitchen being overloaded and unable to provide the right amount of food at dinnertime.

            Their easy conversation had just turned to the nuisance of the recruits when loud catcalls followed them from the hall behind them.

            All five of them turned around to see a group of three twenty-something-year-old Garrison members running around clad in the Survey Corps’ emblem flag, wrapped around them like diapers on top of their pants.

            “Idiots,” Eren commented. “They’ve been doing that almost every night; Connie caught them last night and they pantsed him when he threatened to tell the Commander.”

            “Why hasn’t the captain done anything?” Sasha asked. “Normally he’s all about punishment.” Mikasa nodded at her only female friend in agreement; she knew just how bad his punishments could be.

            “He’s been too busy, he meets with Erwin like twice a day,” Eren said, always first to defend Captain Levi. “And they won’t listen to Hanji. They know she’s too soft to really do anything to them.”

            “Well, they’ll just be Titan fodder in a few weeks,” Jean broke in, “Let them have their last bit of fun.”

            “Jean!” Armin reprimanded, but the horse-faced teenager simply shrugged, as if to say, _Tell me I’m wrong._

            “Hey you!” One of them called to the group. The five Scouts turned back to the hooligans, trying to figure out who they were singling out.

            “You, the Oriental,” the boy with sandy blond hair called out to Mikasa. His voice was slurred from drinking liquor his gang had snuck from the kitchen all day. His hand went to his groin and grasped himself once he saw her gaze had landed on him.

            “Want it?” he asked, his voice heavy with mirth as he winked at her. His friends howled with laughter.

            “You little shit—” Jean started, moving in his direction, fists clenched.

            A strong, feminine arm shot out in front of Jean, halting his charge. Mikasa looked at him from the corner of her eyes, face still in the direction of the immature Garrison recruits. “Don’t,” she said shortly, “I got this.” Eren stood rooted to the ground, glaring in their direction along with Armin and Sasha.

            Jean relented, sincerely hoping Mikasa was about to give them a taste of the strength The Woman Worth a Hundred Soldiers possessed. But instead, she fought back with words.

            “Want what?” she replied, her voice calm while her face remained impassive.

            “This,” he replied, grabbing himself harder, and then wincing in effect. “You like, angel?” His friends howled again, egging him on.

            “I don’t see what ‘this’ is you’re talking about. You’re just grabbing your pants. How will that help me any?”

            The confusion on his face was quickly replaced by frustration.

            “Are you stupid? I mean my cock.”

            “Oh, I know what you meant just fine,” Mikasa replied. “The problem is that I just don’t see anything there.” His eyebrows came together in realization, and his friends weren’t laughing anymore. “Shame, that. You can always see everything in those tight military pants, too.” Now it was her friends’ turn to laugh at the expressions on the recruits’ faces. Mikasa raised a sharp eyebrow and smirked at his dumbfounded expression. “I guess you’re just less fortunate. But then again, you are wearing a diaper. Maybe you’ll grow it to a nice size someday.” His hand dropped farther away from between his legs with every word she spoke.

            Just then, they all heard Hanji’s voice, yelling at the top of her lungs, fist raised, as she approached them from the opposite hall. The three men scattered as fast as their drunken legs would carry them, and escaped before Hanji could recognize their faces.

            Her fist dropped as she neared the five Scouts, realizing she would not reach them in time. She looked at Eren.

            “Did you catch their names?” she said. They all shook their heads, and she hung hers. “Damn it. I can’t handle all this chaos. Where is Levi?” And abruptly as she arrived, she left, taking the stairs to the third floor.

            The five members of the Levi Squad continued their trek to the dormitories, conversing the whole way about how happy they were that their squad would not have any new additions.

           

* * *

 

            The next day, Mikasa left after lunch to train with Eren and Armin in the gym, a favorite pastime of theirs, but it wasn’t until the two boys left that Mikasa could focus on her own personal training, something that Captain Levi had been teaching her.

            It wasn’t so much physical as it was mental. Mikasa had a hard time keeping herself in control when her emotions were affected, which was a rarity for the usually disciplined soldier, but with Eren now so fully involved as Humanity’s Hope, she found herself worried constantly and it had caused her problems in the field. They had worked on her anger problems, partly her anger with him that had seemed to fade with time, and her anger with Annie. Every time she thought of the blond titan bitch, her face still heated with red, and the adrenaline still pumped through her fingertips.

            “ _This anger causes you to lose too much control,”_ Levi had said, “ _try to think of her as just another enemy that you need to take down. She isn’t special.”_

Mikasa had groaned in frustration, her eyes closed as he had commanded, while Annie’s face formed in her mind.

            _Levi’s fingers under her pulse detected the spike in her heartbeat. “Don’t think of her in that way,” he reminded her. “She killed my entire squad, but you didn’t see me lose my head and give in to rage.” At this, Mikasa had popped an eye open to glance at him, yet again feeling guilty for her comments about he and his squad’s incompetence at keeping Eren safe in the Forest of Giant Trees. Only he wasn’t looking at her; he seemed to be lost in thought, and Mikasa wondered if he was remembering a time when he had sat in this very room, giving guidance to Petra or Gunther, Erd or Auruo._

_She closed her eyes again and tried, this time more focused, feeling that she at least owed him that much. She pictured Annie’s face again, and attempted to separate the evil blond from the anger she held deep in her gut._

_“That’s good,” he said, checking her pulse again and watching her face closely to make sure she did not break her calm demeanor._

_And she had succeeded for several seconds, but then Captain Levi leaned into her, and she could feel his presence, so close, too close for comfort, his musky scent permeated the air around her, strong from their spar earlier, and it was so_ manly, _so alluring, and his breath hit her neck, the smell of spearmint mixed with the strongly brewed tea he’d had at breakfast._

_“Tch, Ackerman?” he said, confused. “You were doing better. What happened?” he asked, removing his hand from her pulse, which had spiked unexpectedly. The blush from her cheeks crept down to her pretty neck, having nothing to do with Annie Leonhart and everything to do with the man in front of her. Her eyes fluttered open to observe his bored expression, although she thought she detected a sliver of concern in his blue eyes._

            Since that session, Mikasa had an even harder time practicing with the guidance he had given her, but at least Annie was far, far from the reason for her troubles now.

            Minutes passed in silence. The gym was surprisingly one of the few places that the newcomers had not taken over, and Mikasa was glad that no one else had seemed to realize this. Dinnertime would start soon, and she did not want a repeat of the night before when they had needed to stay late in the cafeteria just to be fed. Deciding to take a quick shower before heading there, she left the gym and headed in the direction of the women’s bathhouse.

            Mikasa wished she had brought her scarf or at least a jacket as the cold air hit her skin. Winter was nearly upon them, and her mere white T-shirt and shorts were no match for the temperature. She walked through the quad where most of the Corps was gathered, recruits and veterans alike, and saw Eren, Armin, and Jean waving her over.

            She changed course for the three of them and—

            SPLASH…water dripped down Mikasa’s head, onto her shirt and cascaded down her legs, ice cold and sopping her black hair. The rivulets didn’t seem to end, still falling from above her slowly, what must have been at least five gallons.

            Mikasa, somewhat in shock, brought her wet hands up to her face slowly, parting her soaked hair and looked upwards. The large white bucket dangled from the tree branch above her, tied to a string that, when she followed it with her eyes, was held by fingers belonging to a familiar face—the stupid Garrison transfer. Looking farther up the tree, she saw his other friends from the night before crouching on higher branches. All together, they climbed down, laughing again, but this time it held a tone of malice. The rest of the crowd around her didn’t seem to know how to respond; some laughed nervously, and some—those who knew what Mikasa was capable of—stayed silent and waited for a sound beating to befall the three men.

            Mikasa was frozen, the water dumped onto her now so cold that it seemed to soak into her bones. She wasn’t even sure how to feel, humiliated, angry, sad? Beating the shit out of the men in front of her didn’t occur to her at all, she was just…confused. Nothing similar to her current situation had ever happened to her. She looked over at Eren—as if wanting some sort of explanation or guidance on what to do next—whose mouth was slightly open in surprise. Even Jean did nothing, simply stared at her, which was when she realized her state of dress, her minimal workout clothing stuck to her like a second skin, and her nipples hard as rock from the cold. She immediately crossed her arms back over her chest, her anger now climbing.

            The men laughed harder now, along with other people in the crowd, as she decided what to do. She could kill them with her bare hands; it wouldn’t take long to snap their necks.

            The man looked around at his handiwork, taking pride in causing the laughter around him. Mikasa made to move, intent on crushing him like the insect he was, but then felt herself nearly knocked aside as someone rushed by, quick as lightning.

            Captain Levi shot the heel of his hand upwards into the new recruit’s nose, a loud CRACK interrupting any other thoughts in the yard. He brought his hands up to his face, bending over and looking up at his attacker. Levi gave him just enough time to get a glimpse at just who was about to hand his ass to him before locking one hand around his throat and the other around his belt, easily lifting him up over his head and throwing him several feet away.

            Levi then prowled toward him, and before he could even lift himself onto his forearms, the Captain was on him again, a knee on his chest to hold him down as Levi’s fist met his jaw, then his right cheekbone, then his nose again before stopping. He rose from the ground, embedding his foot where his knee had been. The man was just barely conscious enough to listen.

            Levi looked around at the crowd before raising his voice. “Many of you are new here, so consider this lesson as your first warning.” His gaze returned to the thoroughly beaten recruit beneath him, but his voice remained calm and loud with just a hint of threat. “No one, _under any circumstances,_ fucks with any one from my squad.” He kicked the recruit then, right in the ribs, and effectively caused him to finally black out. Mikasa almost felt bad for him; after just four hits from the Captain, his face was an unrecognizable, bloody mess.

            “Mess with my squad, and you’ll have me to answer to. And believe me,” Levi continued, hopping off the man’s chest, “you don’t want that.” A shiver ran up Mikasa’s spine, and she was briefly brought back to the Forest of Giant Trees when her Captain had sliced Annie’s titan so quickly she’d barely been able to watch; he’d been full of rage then, and Mikasa thought perhaps that his advice from weeks ago had been ignored in that moment, for he was full of anger, though it didn’t get the better of him like it did Mikasa. Or maybe he had learned how to contain it and use it when the time called for it.

            He walked to Mikasa, whose face betrayed her shock. “Come, Ackerman,” he ordered her, and she fell into step beside him, not even bothering to hide her chest anymore. He unhooked his green cloak from his neck and swung it around her, his hands lingering for just a second on her biceps. She clasped it around her, thankful that it was still warm. She didn’t know where they were going, didn’t know what to say at all, but still followed him, keeping up easily with his brisk pace.

            “Captain!” Eren said as they passed him and Armin, he followed closely but had trouble keeping up and weaving through the crowd.

            Levi looked over at her adoptive brother, and with almost as much bite as his earlier statements, said, “What the fuck is wrong with you, Yeager? Your sister gets harassed and you just stand there with your thumbs up your ass.”

            Eren fell behind then, and Mikasa did not manage to see his reaction. Once they were clear of all the people and back inside the main building, she spoke, “Captain…I’m not mad at Eren, so you don’t need to be.”

            “Tch,” was his only response.

            “You didn’t need to do that, you know. I was about to let him have it,” she said. Silence again. “I appreciate it, though.” She still couldn’t look at him. The wonderful smell coming off his cloak was another distraction.

            “I know I didn’t need to. You’re perfectly capable of defending yourself,” he replied, and she was taken aback by the compliment. “Even though you’re shit at controlling your emotions. Took you long enough to decide how you were going to handle the situation. Either shit or get off the pot, Ackerman.” _He just had to ruin it, didn’t he?_

            “But really, I…wanted to. I meant what I said. I don’t want anyone thinking they can just fuck with… _my squad_ like that.” Mikasa was briefly caught on the hesitation in his voice when he said ‘my squad’. She allowed herself to wonder if he’d been about to say ‘you’ instead.

            They walked in comfortable silence until they reached the women’s bathhouse. Mikasa didn’t even realize until later that she never even told him that’s where she had been headed.

            “Keep it for now,” he said when she tried to hand him back his cloak.

            Suddenly they were standing there, awkward, unsure of how to say goodbye and end this particular moment in time.

            He sighed. “I need to find a way to get a better hold of these transferees.”

            “Yeah, you do,” she agreed. “They were running around in diapers last night made with our flag.”

He shook his head in annoyance before turning to leave. “You smell like shit, Ackerman. I bet that water they dumped on you wasn’t even clean.”

            Mikasa grimaced at the idea of what else they had poured in that bucket. “Thanks again, Captain.” She saluted him, and he walked away.

            She walked into the women’s bathroom, realizing just how badly she did smell, and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, wearing his cloak. The sight brought a small smile to her face, and she didn’t take it off until the water started to run warm.

* * *

 

            Months later found the last members of the Survey Corps traveling through the Inner city of Mitras, helping with the movement of citizens from the overpopulated and crowded city into the now regained territory within Wall Maria. All members of Squad Levi followed their Captain on horseback, squeezing between the many citizens like knitting needles on a quilt.

            And to make matters worse, the people had all of their belongings on their backs, as much as they could carry, filling the already non-existent empty spaces and causing extreme irritation on both parties.

            Levi had taken the front, and Mikasa the rear in order to balance out the skill of their group. Armin, ever the observant one, stayed in front of her to watch for trouble, while Eren rode in front of him. Honestly, Mikasa had been surprised when the Captain informed them of their assigned duty today, especially after having helped clean the debris from the outmost wall cities for the last six months; she thought they had earned a break. But it was Hanji’s idea, and no one was going to argue orders from their new Commander, who seemed frazzled enough as it was these days.

            Throughout their ride, Captain Levi had gotten many shouts of recognition from admirers, some even attempting to push their way through the horde just to get a glimpse of him, the Underground Thug Turned Hero. Eren also received many words of gratitude, though these he handled much differently than his scowling Captain.

            This wasn’t just a dispersing of regular citizens into new territory, either, as they had been briefed that all Underground residents would also be moved to live within Wall Maria by order of her Majesty Queen Historia. It was easy to tell them apart from the regular above ground-inhabitants. Their skin was pallid, and many of them seemed to be weak in the knees as they walked with a detectable limp. Mikasa couldn’t help but wonder if Levi had been the same way before joining the world under the sunlight, and how many of her friends would be dead if he had never been coerced into joining the Scouting Legion.

            “Look, it’s Captain Levi!”

            “Eren Yaeger!”

            Levi ignored the cheers while Eren waved awkwardly. Mikasa watched as a couple of Military Police broke up a fight between two men to her left, debating whether she should step in and help or not.

            Just when she had made up her mind to leave it to the MP, she heard another loud, angry voice ahead of her. She leaned over in her saddle to see that their crawl had slowed even more, the cause being—by the looks of it—a man covered in filth, face contorted in anger, with a hand gripping Levi’s knee. She could not hear what exactly the man was saying to her captain, but she surmised it was not gratitude like many of the others.

            Levi had recognized the man’s face as soon as he made eye contact. His name was Bron, a fellow thief from the Underground, about twenty years Levi’s senior. They had not gotten along well during Levi’s time living there, and from the expression on Bron’s face, that fact had not changed whatsoever.

            He weaved through the crowd and approached Humanity’s Strongest Soldier, and having the nerve to grab Levi’s knee which was level with his shoulder, said, “Levi.” Bron’s smell wafted upwards, and Levi wrinkled his nose.

            “Bron,” Levi replied, looking down at his unfocused, bloodshot eyes, “It’s been some time.” Levi’s gaze drifted to the dirty hand on his knee, tempted to cut off the mud-crusted fingers.

            “Almost seven years,” Bron said. “You might have a fancy title and your own money now, but you’re still a midget son of a whore to me.”

            If he was aiming to spark a reaction out of the Captain, he would be sorely disappointed. “And you are still a filthy drunk who doesn’t know when to keep his shithole shut. Nice to know some things never change,” he replied tonelessly. Bron gritted his teeth, furious, as if what Levi had said had been twice as offensive as his own insults. Levi could sense the eyes of his squad upon him, curious about their conversation.

            “You—” but Bron wasn’t able to finish that thought, for Levi grabbed the hand on his knee and squeezed, feeling the bones crack beneath. Bron shrieked in pain, trying desperately to pull his hand away, but the Corporal held on even tighter.

            Behind him, Sasha and Connie looked at each other nervously; they were supposed to be containing trouble, not causing it. Levi released the man’s crushed fingers and said nothing more, leading his horse forward to continue their task.

            Bron stared in shock at his hand as Squad Levi passed him one by one, all trying and failing to avoid looking at him. Mikasa had missed most of the conversation because of the thick chatter around her, and watched the man as she led her horse forward. Just as she was about to pass him, he turned around and grabbed a knife with his good hand from his own bag. Mikasa watched him locate the back of Levi’s unsuspecting head and lean into a crouch, ready to swing the dagger over his head.

            Mikasa lifted her feet out of the stirrups to stand on her saddle. She leapt off from the seat and jumped onto the man, one heel in his cheek and the other in his sternum. He crashed beneath her to the ground, and she grabbed both his hands, knocking the knife out of his reach as she shoved his arms behind him. He cried out when she made contact with his broken fingers and forced his face into the gravel.

            The rest of the squad only caught the tail end of the incident, and watched as the Military Police came to take the man off Mikasa’s hands and drag him away. Mikasa made eye contact with her captain as she remounted her horse. Levi’s bored expression did not falter, and neither did his gaze. After several seconds of their awkward staring contest, Mikasa looked away, and then the squad was on their way again.

            Later that night, as Mikasa was on her way to the room she and Sasha were stationed in during their travel, she passed by Commander Hanji and Captain Levi talking in hushed tones. Still quite far from them, Mikasa strained her ears to listen.

            “ _How_ did he do it, Levi?” Hanji’s voice broke on the captain’s name, and suddenly Mikasa wished she had taken a different way to her sleeping quarters. She certainly did not want to barge in on what seemed to be a breakdown of the new Commander. Luckily Hanji’s back was to her, with Levi directly in front so that all Mikasa could make out was the top half of his face over Hanji’s shoulder. She briefly contemplated turning around and avoiding the scene altogether, but Levi’s eyes met with her own and flashed in warning. _Don’t move,_ they said.

            Hanji brought her hands up to her face, and Mikasa could see the small shaking of her shoulders. “I don’t know if I can do this,” her words came muffled through her fingers.

            Levi lifted a stiff hand to Hanji’s shoulder in an effort to calm her. “You can do it, he chose you as his replacement. I wholeheartedly trust his judgment.” Mikasa was taken aback by the kindness in his usually harsh voice.

            A sniffle, and then, “You do?”

            “Of course I do; you think I would have followed his constipated ass all these years if I hadn’t? He knows what’s best for humanity, even when he’s dead. And that includes you being Commander of the Survey Corps.”

            Hanji was silent, and it wasn’t until her body stopped shaking that she spoke again. “Why wasn’t it you?” she asked quietly.

            “What do you mean?” Mikasa heard Levi ask, but she could tell he knew what Hanji was asking.

            “Why didn’t he choose you?”

            “Does it matter?” Levi asked.

            “No, I guess not…but I’d like to know. You’re better with commands, and they listen to you.”

            “Not true. They don’t _all_ listen to me, Four Eyes,” at this, Mikasa watched his eyes swerve to her face, and couldn’t help but crack a small smile. “And if they do, it’s because they’re afraid of me.”

            “You’ve garnered most of humanity’s respect. You should have been made Commander,” Hanji said dejectedly.

            “No, you were made Commander because you have what it takes to ensure humanity’s survival. I don’t. I’ve made that quite clear over the last several years.”

            Hanji sighed. Levi stared up at her with furrowed eyebrows, determined to make her see things his way.

            “There’s also the fact that I don’t want that role,” he continued gently. The further their conversation went, the more shocked Mikasa became by his demeanor, so unlike his usual self. She knew that Levi and Hanji were somewhat close friends, but never realized or considered the extent of their relationship.

            “I’m sorry for getting so carried away. I know you don’t enjoy seeing this,” Hanji said, removing her glasses to wipe her face with her sleeve, causing Levi to grimace.

            “You just need more faith in yourself, Shitty Glasses. Erwin believed in you, and so do I.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

            Hanji sniffled again. “Thanks, Levi. It means a lot to me.” She put her glasses back on, though they still fit awkwardly because of her bulky eye patch. They said their goodbyes and Mikasa tried to sink into the nearest building so that Hanji wouldn’t see her. The Commander walked the opposite way, however, and never turned in the younger soldier’s direction.

            Levi waited for Hanji’s form to disappear before beckoning Mikasa toward him.

            “Is she going to be okay?” Mikasa asked.

            “Of course she will. She has to be. People always find a way to be stronger than they feel when the time is right,” he replied, motioning for her to walk alongside him. She followed, still lost in thought about his kind words and actions.

            “I wondered too, you know,” she started, unsure if she should follow the path of conversation but pushing through anyway, “why you weren’t named Commander.”

            Levi blinked in irritation. He’d been asked this question many times in the last months, but always came up with some bullshit excuse. But he knew he could be honest with Mikasa Ackerman. She knew how cruel the world worked.

            “I told Hanji the truth, the part about me not wanting that position,” he said. “And that I don’t have what it takes to ensure humanity’s survival.”

            Mikasa thought this statement absurd. “But you’ve saved more people than anyone in the entire walls. You ensure humanity’s survival every day.”

            Levi came to an abrupt stop and turned to face her, a small smirk on his lips. “If I didn’t know better, I’d take that as a compliment from you.” Mikasa blushed and tugged her scarf upward.

            He scratched the back of his neck, thinking about how to word his next explanation. He decided to just be blunt. “I can’t send people off to their deaths,” he admitted. He could tell this confused Mikasa, and he explained further, “Erwin sent soldiers and comrades to their early grave every single time we left the walls. He used the Military Police and even regular citizens as bait in order to achieve his goal of discovering the truth. And he did it under the pretense that he was saving humanity. I…I could never do that. And I know that his decisions were always right. I trusted every decision he ever made. But he always made choices for other people. I don’t want that, nor could I ever settle into a role like that.”

            “And you think Hanji can? Send people off to their deaths for the greater good?” Mikasa asked, now thoroughly thrown off balance by their conversation.

            “Yes,” he said with zero hesitation. “Could you?”

            The question jolted through her like alcohol, but her answer was quick. “No,” she said honestly, but decided to leave out _unless it concerned Eren_. He surveyed her face, deciphering whether she was lying or not.

            “Well, Mikasa, I hope you never have to make that call.” He began walking again, and she fell in step with him once more, taking confidence in his use of her first name.

            “Who was that guy today?” she asked, “the one who threatened you?”

            “He is just some shit eater from the Underground that I used to know,” he replied. “I was wrong not to think he would react so stupidly. You did well.”

            “I just didn’t want any citizens to get hurt,” she replied, trying to tamper down the butterflies in her stomach from the obvious compliment.

            “Right, and it had nothing to do with the fact that he was aiming for me?” Levi asked.

            “No,” she replied. “I know you are perfectly capable of defending yourself.” She turned his words from months ago around on him, and glancing out of the corner of his eye, he saw her eyes brighten with concealed mirth.

            They reached the door of his sleeping quarters then, and both captain and subordinate stopped. Mikasa noticed his tired eyes then; ever since Erwin’s death, her captain seemed more tired with every passing day. She wondered then if she would be in his shoes if it had been Armin who died in Erwin’s place, if Levi had instead chosen his friend over hers. Would they still be sharing this playful banter if he had chosen the Commander instead? She highly doubted it. She would resent him forever in that case, she knew it. But the fact remained that he had chosen Armin, had decided to put his own feelings aside and saved the Shinganshina trio from losing another family member, and he did not seem to resent her. He was a better person than she was, something she had come to realize in the recent months.

            “Is that what you want? For me to be Commander?” he asked, returning to their earlier conversation.

            Mikasa considered him for a moment. Sure, she had thought of him as being Commander of the Survey Corps, and was honest when she said she thought he would have gotten the position next. But did she _want_ him as Commander? That was not something she had contemplated.

            “You said you didn’t want to be Commander,” she said, curious as to why this mattered.

            “I didn’t ask for my opinion, Ackerman, I asked for yours,” he said, “If I were Commander, you would no longer be part of my squad. I wouldn’t have a squad at all. Is that what you want?”

            Mikasa blinked, this revelation news to her. Of course he wouldn’t have a squad anymore. The entire Corps would be his to order around—all eight of its remaining members. Mikasa did not like the idea of this; Squad Levi always worked as a unit. Without their Captain, what were they? What would become of Eren? He had been successful in keeping her brother alive where she doubted anyone else could have. Would they have been assigned a new Squad Leader once the Survey Corps gained more members? Could Levi have picked a replacement for himself that was to her standards? _No,_ she thought, _no one can replace him._

            She shook her head. “No. I don’t want that.”

            He seemed satisfied by this answer, watching as the wheels turned in her head. “Good. I don’t want that either.”

            Humanity’s Strongest Soldiers stood together in the hall a few seconds longer before bidding each other good night, and Mikasa walked to her room a few doors down, repeating his words in her head.

            _I don’t want that either_.

            And after everything they had been through, Mikasa sincerely hoped that Levi would be their captain for many years to come.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Look out for my other stuff coming soon, which I hope is written more to my standards!


End file.
